The Mating Game
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: It's time for Pikachu to find a mate, so Ash and company try to help him woo an unwilling female.
1. Chapter 1

__

Author's Note: This one's for Llyxius, whose fic "Nothing Special" gave me the idea for this one! Go read it!

Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself lying atop her -- the soft contours of her body pressed against his, his nose buried in the soft warmth of her neck. As he inhaled the sweetness of her jasmine-scented perfume, he whispered softly in her ear.

"Are you all right?"

With a touch of amusement in her voice, Delia responded. "I think so."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked as he raised his head and gently brushed aside a silky lock of auburn hair that had fallen across her face.

"No," she replied as she slowly shifted her hips underneath his.

"Good," Professor Oak smiled as he rolled off of her. "And I'm really sorry about nearly running over you with my bike." He stood up and brushed the dust off of his lab coat. "That Rattata just appeared out of nowhere and dashed in front of me."

"No harm done," Delia replied as Professor Oak held out his hand to her and helped her up. "I'm glad I was around to cushion your fall. Although I can't say the same about your bike," which was lying in a heap next to the picket fence in front of the Ketchum residence.

"I'm sorry about your fence, Delia. I'll pay to replace the pickets," Professor Oak said apologetically as he tried to extricate the front wheel of his bike from where it was wedged between the pickets of the front gate. He tugged repeatedly on the bike, but to no avail. "Looks like it's stuck fast."

"Wait, let me help you," Delia offered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and started tugging.

Just then, Brock, Ash, and Misty came walking up the road. Needless to say, the sight of Mrs. Ketchum making groaning noises as she pulled the lower portion of Professor Oak's body against hers elicited curious stares from the group.

"Harder, Delia!" Professor Oak grunted as the bike started to wiggle free. "It's coming. We're almost there!"

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Brock," Misty hissed. "Is sex the only thing you ever think about?"

"Only when I'm not thinking about pretty girls," Brock replied, trying hard not to laugh at what Professor Oak had just said.

As Misty rolled her eyes, the bike came loose and both Professor Oak and Delia went crashing into Brock, knocking him into the nearby hedge.

"And that's what you get for having such a dirty mind," Misty said smugly as she helped a whimpering Brock out of the patch of thorns.

"Hi, sweetheart," Delia smiled at the sight of Ash. "What are you doing back here so soon? I didn't think you'd be back for lunch for another hour."

"Actually, Mom, I was on my way to see Professor Oak."

"What about, Ash?" Professor Oak replied as he inspected his wrecked bike.

"Pikachu's been acting funny lately," Ash said as he stroked his Pokémon's head.

"Funny? How so?"

"Well, he's been kinda distracted lately. And he's been really aggressive, too."

"I'll say," Misty chimed in. "Yesterday when Ash and I were having a Pokémon battle strictly for fun, Pikachu nearly killed poor Psyduck."

"Hey, if your stupid Psyduck would pay attention to what it was doing instead of running around like an idiot!" Ash retorted hotly.

"Whaddya mean, 'stupid Psyduck'?!" Misty yelled.

"Wait guys, let's calm down for a moment," Brock interceded as he tried to pull the fighting pair apart.

"Anyway, Professor Oak, Pikachu's not acting like himself. I'm getting kind of worried about him," Ash said as he moved aside to dodge Misty's flying fist.

"Well, why don't you follow me back to the lab so I can have a look at him?" Professor Oak replied as he picked up the tangled wreckage that was once his bike. "Plus, you can help carry my bike back. I don't think I'm going to be riding on it for a while."

"Hey, Professor Oak, let me know if you find a good repair shop because SOMEONE still owes me a new bike," Misty said, glaring at Ash, who turned bright red.

* * *

---

"Don't worry, buddy. Professor Oak's not gonna hurt you," Ash reassured his Pokémon as Professor Oak began examining Pikachu's ears.

"Ash, this examination would go much faster if you would move out of the way," Professor Oak told the worried boy as he nudged Ash aside with his elbow.

"Sorry, Professor. It's just that I'm worried about Pikachu," Ash said as he moved away from the examination table.

"Ears look fine," Professor Oak said as he moved from examining Pikachu's ears to the Pokémon's eyes. As he peered into the depths of Pikachu's eye, Professor Oak was suddenly aware of someone breathing down his neck. He whirled around and nearly hit Ash in the face with his ophthalmoscope.

"Ash, will you please get out of the way?" Professor Oak said with some annoyance. "Go stand over there!"

"Sorry, Professor. Okay."

Ash retreated to the other side of the examination table.

"Open your mouth please, Pikachu," Professor Oak coaxed.

As he examined the Pokémon's throat he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ash had disappeared from the opposite side of the exam table.

"What do you see, Professor?" a boy's voice whispered in his ear.

"Ash, if you don't get out of the way, you're going to be on the receiving end of a very large needle in a moment," Professor Oak said through gritted teeth.

Ash quickly retreated to his original position at the opposite end of the table.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Professor Oak placed his stethoscope on Pikachu's chest and listened to the thump-thump-thump of the Pokémon's heart.

"What do you hear, Professor Oak?"

Professor Oak jumped in surprise. Ash had removed the stethoscope from Pikachu's chest and was speaking through the chest piece.

"That's it, Ash!" Professor Oak grabbed a thermometer and stuck it in Ash's mouth. "Now I want you to sit still and keep your mouth closed."

"Professor, I'm not--" Ash said as he looked at the thermometer dangling out of his mouth.

"No talking, Ash!" Professor Oak ordered as he turned his attention back to Pikachu.

As he felt the Pokémon's abdomen, Ash started squirming.

"Professor, can I...?"

"I said, 'no talking,' Ash. Keep your mouth closed."

A minute later, Ash spoke up again. "Hey, Professor, can I take this out...?"

"No. Just sit there a few minutes more, Ash," Professor Oak replied as he examined Pikachu's fur.

Two more minutes passed.

"Now, Professor?"

"Not yet, Ash," Professor Oak called back as he inspected the Pokémon's feet and claws.

Another minute went by.

"Professor...?"

"No."

Finished with his examination, Professor Oak pulled the thermometer out of Ash's mouth and read it.

"Well, Ash, you'll be pleased to know that you don't have a fever."

"But what's wrong with Pikachu?" Ash asked impatiently.

"Nothing's wrong with Pikachu. He's in excellent shape. You've taken wonderful care of him."

"Nothing's wrong?" Ash exclaimed in disbelief. "But why is he acting so funny?"

Professor Oak smiled. "Ash, Pikachu's getting older and he's growing up, just like you are. And there are certain urges that Pokémon--and humans--have when they're reaching adolescence. Do you remember the time you told me about your Butterfree?"

"Sure, Professor. Butterfree started acting real weird when he met this girl Butterfree, but that's because he wanted to mate with--" Ash's mouth fell open. "Wait a minute, Professor Oak. Are you trying to tell me that Pikachu's acting all weird because he needs a girlfriend?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, Ash. Pikachu is ready to mate. That's why he's been acting so aggressive lately."

Ash looked at his Pokémon in horror.

"You mean Pikachu's gonna start acting all goofy like Brock whenever he's around a girl?"

"Well, maybe not that extreme. But yes, Pikachu will start being more and more interested in finding a suitable female Pikachu to mate with."

"But there aren't any Pikachu around Pallet Town. Does this mean I'm gonna have to let Pikachu go like I did with Butterfree so he can find a girlfriend?" Ash said worriedly as he picked up his Pokémon and hugged him tightly.

"Ash, you're Pikachu's trainer. You need to decide what's best for him."

While Ash wanted what was best for his friend, he didn't want to let Pikachu go. He had already tried that once and the pain of separation, while temporary, had almost been unbearable.

"Yeah, you're right, Professor Oak. Come on, Pikachu. Let's go home," Ash said sadly.

As Professor Oak watched the boy and his Pokémon disappear down the road, inspiration struck.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?" Professor Oak said excitedly as he raced to the video phone.

* * *

---

Three days later, Ash stuck his head in the doorway of the Oak lab. "Why did you want me to come here so fast, Professor Oak?"

"Because I have someone here I'd like for you and Pikachu to meet," he smiled as he disappeared into the other room. When he returned a moment later, Professor Oak was carrying a Pikachu in his arms.

"This is Electra," Professor Oak announced as he placed the female Pikachu on the nearby table. "Professor Elm sent her to me from New Bark Town. We thought she might like to meet your Pikachu."

"Whaddya think, Pikachu?" Ash asked tentatively as he placed Pikachu on the table. "Wanna go say 'hi' to Electra?"

Pikachu went over to the female Pokémon and waved his paw. "Pika! Pikachu." (Translation: "Hi! My name's Pikachu.")

With a look of distaste clearly evident on her face, Electra turned away from the friendly Pikachu. "Pika-pi." ("Leave me alone. I'm not interested.")

Pikachu tried again. "Pika?" ("Something wrong?")

"Pikachu!" ("I thought I told you to leave me alone!") Sparks flew from Electra's cheeks as she sent a thunderbolt flying in Pikachu's direction.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Ash shouted as he snatched his Pikachu out of the way of Electra's attack.

"I don't understand it," a puzzled Professor Oak replied. "Professor Elm said that Electra was very sweet and gentle. Maybe I'd better give him a call and see what the problem is."

"Girls sure are weird, aren't they, Pikachu?" Ash said as Professor Oak dialed Professor Elm's number.

A bespectacled young man in a lab coat appeared on the video phone's screen. "Professor Oak! Hello!"

"Hello, Robert. How are things in New Bark Town?"

"Oh, they're just fine. Matter of fact, I was getting ready to call you about the latest discovery I've made on the evolution of Eevee. I know that your grandson Gary has one and in the last several months I've--"

Professor Oak quickly cut him off, knowing that his former student could easily ramble on for hours. "That sounds very interesting, Rob, but you'll have to tell me about it later. What I'm calling for is about the female Pikachu you sent me."

"Electra? Is something wrong with her? I had Nurse Joy give her a complete physical before I sent her over and--"

"No, she's fine physically. It's just that she doesn't seem receptive to the male Pikachu here."

"Hmmm, she's definitely old enough to mate," Professor Elm said thoughtfully. "Wonder what the problem could be? Is the male Pikachu receptive?"

"He appears to be."

"Maybe he's so caught up in his own little world that he needs a reminder about how to deal with women," a female voice piped up from behind Professor Elm.

He turned around and saw a frowning Nurse Joy standing behind him. "Oh, hi, Nurse Joy."

"Rob, you were supposed to pick me up at the Pokémon Center twenty minutes ago for our date!" Nurse Joy fumed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Joy. I got so busy with work here that I guess I lost track of time."

"Same old story. You know, I bet I could walk in here completely naked, but you would be too busy peering through that microscope at your Kabuto artifacts to even notice me!"

"Don't be silly, Joy," Professor Elm protested. "They're not Kabuto artifacts. They're Omanyte."

"That's it!" Nurse Joy grabbed the unfortunate Professor Elm by his shirt collar. "Excuse us for a moment, Professor Oak. I need to teach Rob a lesson about how to treat women."

The video screen fuzzed and went black.

"Too bad Brock wasn't here to hear what Nurse Joy said," Ash remarked as Professor Oak hung up the video phone.

* * *

---

"So what's the problem, Ash?" Brock asked as he and Ash watched Pikachu make another attempt to get friendly with Electra in the garden behind the Ketchum house.

"That," Ash said, pointing to the female Pokémon who was now attempting to bite Pikachu. "You're a Pokémon breeder, Brock. And you know a lot about girls, so is there anything you can do to help Pikachu?"

Brock puffed up with pride.

"You've come to the right man, Ash. As a expert on love, I think I can help Pikachu win the heart of the fair Electra."

Ash rolled his eyes as Brock took Pikachu aside and began to dole out helpful advice.

"The most important thing to remember about girls, Pikachu, is that you should never give up until you've won the object of your affection. Be persistent. Remember, it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

"Yeah, and you've lost a lot of times, haven't you, Brock?"

Ignoring his friend's comment, Brock whipped a small bow tie out of his pocket and tied it around Pikachu's neck.

"There. Women always like a man who's well-dressed."

Brock then went over to the garden and picked a handful of colorful blossoms.

"Brock, I don't think my mom's gonna like you picking her flowers."

"Trust me, Ash." Brock handed the bouquet to Pikachu. "Women also like flowers. I don't have any candy, but here's some of my special blend Poké Chow." He gave a few pellets to the Pokémon. "Now be sure to give her those and tell her how pretty she looks. Go get her, boy!"

Brock shoved the uncomfortable-looking Pikachu in Electra's direction.

"Pika." ("Um, hi again, Electra.")

"Pikachu?" Electra said, eyeing the male Pokémon warily. ("What in the world are you doing?")

"Okay, Pikachu, give her the flowers and Poké Chow," Brock instructed.

Pikachu offered the female Pokémon the flowers, which she promptly threw aside. Trying again, Pikachu handed Electra the Poké Chow, which soon joined the flowers on the ground.

"Pikachu?" a confused Pikachu asked Brock. ("So what do I do now?")

"Don't give up yet. Tell Electra how nice she looks," Brock advised.

Pikachu scratched his head. "Pi-pi-pika." ("If you weren't so mean, Electra, you'd look pretty nice.")

"PIKACHU?!" ("What did you just say?!")

Brock snatched Pikachu out of the way as Electra's Thundershock narrowly missed him.

"That's enough, Brock," Ash said as he grabbed Pikachu out of Brock's hands. "Your advice is gonna get Pikachu killed!"

"What happened to my flowers?!"

"Uh-oh, sounds like Mom's home," Ash gulped anxiously.

"Don't worry about a thing, Ash," Brock said confidently. "I know all about how to handle women. Oh, Mrs. Ketchum--"

* * *

---

A few hours later, Brock was busy replanting Mrs. Ketchum's garden while Ash had gone to visit Tracey for some advice.

"The most important thing to remember when mating Pokémon," Tracey began as he led Ash and the two Pikachu outside to the Pokémon preserve, "is that habitat and surroundings are extremely important. Since Pikachu are forest-type Pokémon, then this will be a suitable environment for Pikachu and Electra to mate in."

Ash and Tracey were standing in the middle of the forest that formed part of the western boundary of the Pokémon preserve.

"Okay guys, go to it," Tracey said as he put Pikachu and Electra down and whipped out his sketchpad.

Ash's eyebrows shot up.

"Tracey, do you have to draw _everything_?"

"Sure I do, Ash," Tracey said enthusiastically as he pulled out a set of pencils. "I've never witnessed the mating habits of Pikachu before, so this will be a good opportunity for me to learn something."

Tracey sat down on a nearby tree stump and started to sketch an outline of the two Pokémon.

"Uh, Tracey, shouldn't we give them some privacy or something?"

"Oh, it's all right, Ash. It's part of being a Pokémon watcher. Pull up a tree stump."

Ash reluctantly sat next to his friend and the two stared expectantly at the Pokémon couple, waiting for something to happen.

Pikachu and Electra sat motionless and stared back. Finally, Electra spoke up.

"Pika-pika?" ("What are those two humans doing?")

"Pikachu." ("I think they want to watch us mate.")

"Pika-pikachu!" ("That'll be the day!")

Electra raced off into the woods. Pikachu took off after her.

"Is this part of the mating ritual, Tracey?" a confused Ash asked.

"I don't think so. Let's follow them and see where they're going."

* * *

---

"James, take a look at this!" Jessie handed her partner the binoculars.

"Oooh! A pair of Pikachu," James squealed happily.

Meowth snatched the binoculars of James's hands and peered through them.

"Looks like the twerp's Pikachu's got a girlfriend," Meowth said as he watched Pikachu chase after Electra.

"Ooh, a matched set!" James said enthusiastically. "That means that they're collector's items."

"Well, let's start collecting," Jessie said as she started manipulating the control panel inside Team Rocket's hot air balloon.

On the ground below, Pikachu had finally caught up with Electra.

"Pika-pi! Pika?" ("Electra, wait! Why are you running away?")

"Pikachu! Pika-pikachu-chu?" ("Because I don't want to mate with you! Can't you get that through your head?")

"Pikachu? Pika-pi?" ("Why not, Electra? Did I do something wrong?")

Electra sat on her haunches and glared at Pikachu. A moment later her gaze softened.

"Pika-pi. Pikachu... chuuuuu." ("No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that... well, I'm angry.")

Pikachu sat down next to Electra. "Chu? Pika?" ("Angry? Why are you angry?")

"Pika. Pi-pika. Chuuu." ("Because the only reason I was brought here was to mate with you. I don't even know you. I didn't really want to leave my friends at the lab to come here.")

Pikachu put his paw around Electra.

"Pika. Pikachu. Pikachu-pi." ("I'm sorry, Electra. We don't have to mate if you don't want to. We can be friends instead, if that's what you want.")

Electra's face brightened. "Pikachu?" ("Really?")

"Pikachu. Pika-ka-chu--" ("Sure. And I'll introduce you to all my other friends, like Bulbasaur--")

Their conversation was abruptly terminated as a metal claw appeared out of the sky and snatched Electra off of the ground.

"Pikaaaaa!" ("Help!")

"Pikachu!" ("Put her down!")

As Pikachu prepared to deliver a Thundershock to release Electra from Team Rocket's clutches, a second claw appeared and snatched the unfortunate Pokémon.

"Hey! It's Team Rocket!" Tracey exclaimed as he and Ash emerged from the forest.

"Put down those Pikachu!" Ash ordered as he watched Team Rocket place both Pikachu into a shock-proof cage.

"Make us, twerp," Jessie mocked.

Ash reached for a Poké ball. "Noctowl, I choose you!"

The shiny bird Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.

"Noctowl, peck a hole in that balloon!"

The owl Pokémon flew up high and then did a nosedive straight into the Meowth-shaped balloon, putting a large hole in it.

"Meowth, I thought I told you to replace this balloon with a puncture-resistant one!" James fumed as the balloon started to rapidly descend.

"Hey, I would've if you hadn't spent all of our cash on those Pikachu-grabbing claws!" Meowth retorted angrily as Wobbuffet appeared.

"Wobb!"

Jessie smacked Wobbuffet on the head and tried to get it to go back into its Poké ball. During the confusion, Pikachu, who had managed to free himself from the cage, grabbed Electra's paw and the two Pokémon jumped onto the basket's edge.

"Pika! Pikachu!" ("Come on, Electra! Jump on Noctowl's back before the balloon crashes!") He pointed to the owl Pokémon hovering nearby.

Electra shook her head. "Pikachu! Chuu!" ("I can't! I'm scared!")

Pikachu grabbed her paw.

"Pikachu. Pi-pika-pi. Pikachu. Ka-chu." ("I know you're scared, Electra. But don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen to you. Noctowl won't let you get hurt, either.")

Electra nodded at Pikachu and the two jumped onto Noctowl's back seconds before the balloon landed in a clump of trees at the edge of the woods. The two Pikachu and Noctowl landed safely at Ash's feet.

"Now it's my turn to take care of these guys," Tracey declared as he pulled out one of his Poké balls. "Marill, I choose you!"

The blue water-type Pokémon appeared with a bright flash. "Marill!"

"Marill, use your Hydro Pump to take care of these creeps!"

The water mouse Pokémon shot a torrent of water at the Team Rocket balloon and sent it flying into the sky.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"All right, Marill!" Great job!" Tracey congratulated his Pokémon.

"You too, Noctowl," Ash smiled as he returned his Pokémon to his Poké ball.

"Pikachu. Pika," Electra said with a smile. ("You too, Pikachu. Thanks for saving me.")

And to everyone's surprise, Electra leaned over and kissed Pikachu on the cheek, causing the little Pokemon to blush furiously.

Ash's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You mean you actually _liked_ that, Pikachu? Yuck!"

* * *

---

"Good news, Professor!" Ash exclaimed excitedly several days later as he rushed into the lab. "Looks like Electra and Pikachu are getting along now. They're playing outside."

Professor Oak looked out the window. "Um, Ash, they're not exactly playing."

"What do you mean, Professor? Sure they are."

Professor Oak stifled a giggle. "Ash, they're _mating_."

As Ash dashed to the window and looked out, an expression of horror and shock suddenly appeared on the boy's face.

"EWWWWWWWW!"

Professor Oak tried hard not to laugh at the boy's reaction as a satisfied Pikachu came running inside and happily scampered up to his trainer.

"Oh, Pikachu, I'm so sorry!" Ash said as he scooped up his Pokémon and clutched him tightly to his chest.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked quizzically. ("What are you talking about?")

"Don't worry, Pikachu. I'll make sure that you never have to go through that again," Ash shuddered.

"Pikachu? Pi-pika-pi!" ("What do you mean? That was great! I want to do that again!")

An equally sated Electra dashed inside and jumped into Professor Oak's arms.

"Pika-pi-pikachu!" ("It took him long enough to figure out what to do, but it was worth it.")

"Well, Ash, if everything went well--and judging from Electra's reaction, everything did--a month from now, Pikachu and Electra will have a litter of Pichu."


	2. Chapter 2

ONE MONTH LATER

"Hey, Tracey. What's going on?" Ash asked as he stood on the doorstep of the Oak lab with Brock and Misty.

"Yeah. Why did Professor Oak want us to come over so fast?" Brock panted.

"Electra's in labor!" Tracey said excitedly as he led the others down the hallway to the lab. "The babies are coming."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Misty squealed as she cuddled Togepi. "Lots of cute little baby Pichu to play with!"

"Pikachu!" The Pokémon jumped off of Ash's shoulder and dashed towards the lab where his mate lay.

"Pikachu, come back!"

"Let him go, Ash," said Brock. "Electra is Pikachu's mate. He needs to be with her now."

"But I wanna be with Pikachu!" Ash protested.

"Well, come on, then, Ash," a smiling Professor Oak said as he opened the door to the lab to let Pikachu in. "Tracey, will you show Pikachu where Electra is?"

"Sure, Professor," Tracey said. "Come on, Pikachu. Electra's doing fine."

"Can we come, too, Professor Oak?" Misty said eagerly.

"Well, as much as I know you'd like to be with Electra and Pikachu, I don't want too many people around."

"Sure, Professor Oak, we understand," said Brock. "When Pokémon give birth, they prefer to have peace and quiet. It makes labor less stressful."

"Very good, Brock," said Professor Oak. "You'll make an excellent Pokémon breeder someday."

Brock blushed. "Aww, thanks, Professor."

"We'll wait out here then," Misty said as she went into the living room and sat on the couch.

As Ash disappeared into the lab, Brock followed Misty into the living room and took the place on the couch next to her. A moment later, a high-pitched scream echoed down the hall.

Misty jumped straight into the air. "What was that?"

"That didn't sound good, whatever it was," a worried Brock said.

The scream was followed by a moaning sound, then a dull _thud._

Misty and Brock exchanged horrified glances.

The two teens then heard Professor Oak say "Uh-oh."

Brock then thought he heard Tracey say "unconscious." He jumped up, ran across the hallway to the door of the lab, and pressed his ear against it.

"Can you hear what's going on in there, Brock?" Misty asked as she leaned against him.

"It sounds like they're dragging something across the floor," Brock reported. "Machinery maybe."

"Oh no, Brock! You don't think something's happened to Electra and they're trying to... resuscitate her?"

The two then heard Professor Oak say, "Can you hear me?"

"Oh no! Something is wrong, Brock!" Misty said frantically.

"Come on, Misty," Brock said, grabbing her hand. "Let's see what's going on in there!"

The two teens shoved open the door to the lab and saw Ash, his face deathly pale, slumped over in a chair. Kneeling next to him was Professor Oak.

"Slow, deep breaths, Ash. That's it," Professor Oak said calmly as he checked Ash's pulse.

"Uh, isn't _Electra_ supposed to be your patient, Professor Oak?" a puzzled Misty asked.

Professor Oak looked up. "Yes, Electra is supposed to be my patient, but right now Ash is the one in more need of some attention. Don't worry about Electra--she's fine. Tracey's with her." He stood up and patted Ash's shoulder reassuringly. "Brock, Misty, why don't you take Ash outside?"

"No... wanna stay with Pikachu," Ash mumbled weakly.

"Come on, Ash," Brock said as he lifted his friend's limp arm and placed it around his shoulders. "I think you can be more help to Pikachu if you waited outside with us."

"Yeah, Ash," Misty said as she wrapped Ash's other arm around her shoulders and the two started to carry Ash outside. "Professor Oak doesn't have time to take care of two patients."

"Don't worry about a thing, Ash," Professor Oak smiled. "You'll feel better when you get some fresh air. And I'll let you know the moment anything happens, I promise."

An hour later, Ash was pacing in a circle around the living room.

"What's taking them so long?"

"Ash, it takes a long time to have a baby," Delia told her son. "When I had you, I was in labor for nearly twenty-four hours."

"TWENTY-FOUR HOURS?"

"Hopefully, it won't take that long," Brock reassured his friend. "Small Pokémon like Pikachu usually take only a couple of hours to--"

The sound of the door to the lab opening put an end to their conversation. Professor Oak, grinning ear to ear, walked over to Ash and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Ash, my boy! Four healthy Pichu--three females, one male. The entire family is doing fine."

The room exploded in cheers.

"Can we see them, Professor?" Misty asked excitedly.

"Of course! Tracey's with them now."

Ash, Brock, and Misty headed to the lab while Delia congratulated Electra's obstetrician.

"You know, I don't think I've seen Ash this excited in a long time."

Professor Oak's eyes lit up at the sight of the pretty woman in the far corner of the living room. "Delia? What are you doing here?"

"I was coming back from the grocery store when Brock came over to tell me the news about Electra being in labor. Congratulations on a job well done, Samuel."

"Well, I didn't really do that much. Electra did all the work. I just helped her out a little."

"But you made Ash happy. And that's the most important thing in the world to me."

Delia seized him by the lapels of his lab coat, pulled him close to her, and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Oh, look at them. They're so tiny!" Misty whispered at the sight of the four little Pichu huddled against their mother.

"Great job, Electra," Brock beamed. "You too, Pikachu. You have a fine family."

"Wow, Pikachu," Ash said in awe. "You're a daddy now."

Pikachu left his mate's side, scampered over to Ash and gave him a hug, all the while chattering excitedly.

"Pi-pikachu!" ("I want you to be the first one to meet my children!")

"Hey, look at this one," Brock remarked at the sight of the Pichu who was already trying to walk.

"That's the male," Tracey said as the Pichu tottered unsteadily towards Ash.

"Boy, I feel sorry for you," Misty said as she stroked the little Pichu. "Having to deal with three sisters. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel."

"This one's a pretty tough little guy, isn't he, Pikachu?" Ash said as he picked up the tiny Pokémon. "Just like his daddy, huh?"

"Pichu!" the Pokémon squealed in delight.

"Hey, Mom... hey, where's my mom?" Ash asked.

"I'm right here, Ash, honey. I was busy congratulating Professor Oak," Delia said as she straightened her sweater.

She was then joined by Professor Oak, who was rubbing what appeared to be lipstick marks off of his face.

"Look, Mom!" Ash said excitedly as he showed her the baby Pichu. "He looks just like Pikachu, doesn't he?"

"He sure does," Delia grinned.

"And he seems to have a knack for getting into trouble. Just like Ash," Misty said with a smile as she watched the little Pichu climb out of Ash's hands and tumble onto his sisters. "Maybe we should name him Ash Junior."

"Pika!" ("Perfect!")

"All right, then. I'd like you all to meet Ash Junior. AJ for short," Ash said as he picked up the Pichu and stroked its head.

"Pichu-u-u-u!"

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Sparkie, stop!" Tracey yelled as the Pichu went racing through the lab with Tracey's pencil in its paws.

Professor Oak chuckled and continued scratching the head of Sparkie's sister. As the video phone rang, he gathered up the Pichu in his arms and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Professor Oak."

"Hello, Professor Elm! How are things?"

"Great," the younger scientist responded as he tickled the chin of the Pichu perched on his shoulder. "I just wanted to call and thank you. Joy and I are doing fine."

"Joy?"

"Oh, Joy was what I named the Pichu you sent me. Nurse Joy was rather pleased when I told her. _Very_ appreciative, if you know what I mean," he said with a sly wink.

__

And that's exactly why I told him to do that, Professor Oak thought with a grin as he hung up the phone and looked down at the Pichu that was busy taking various items out of the pocket of his lab coat. "What do you think about that, Delia?"

The side door slammed open and Ash bounded in. On one shoulder was Pikachu, on the other was Electra, and perched on his baseball cap was AJ.

"Looks like the family's doing well, Ash," Professor Oak smiled at the sight of the boy covered with Pokémon.

"Yeah. Watch this, Professor Oak." Ash placed AJ on the table and stepped back. "AJ, Thunderbolt now!"

Sparks flew from the Pichu's cheeks and a thunderbolt shot from the Pokémon's body.

"Aaugh!" Professor Oak yelled as the thunderbolt narrowly missed his head, careened across the room, and entered a nearby computer, causing it to short out.

"Oops. Sorry, Professor Oak," Ash apologized as he gathered up the exhausted Pichu and replaced it on his cap. "Guess AJ needs to work a bit more on directing his thunderbolts."

Delia Pichu, happy to see her brother, leapt out of Professor Oak's arms and jumped atop Ash's cap.

"Hey, guys, watch out!" Ash exclaimed as the two Pichu started playfully wrestling.

Sparkie, still being chased by Tracey, emerged from a nearby doorway and leapt to safety with her brother and sister atop Ash's cap. Suddenly, sparks started flying from all three Pokémon.

"Oh no, guys! Don't..."

"PICHUUUUUU!"

A semi-electrocuted Ash crumpled to the floor.

"Ash? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm used to it after being around Pikachu for so long," Ash said weakly as he struggled to his feet with some assistance from Tracey and Professor Oak.

"Come on, Ash. Let's let all these Pikachu and Pichu play outside," Tracey suggested as he picked up the Pichu siblings.

While the two boys took the Pikachu family outside to roam the grounds of the Pokémon preserve, Professor Oak tried to figure out a way to fix his thundershocked computer.

"Must be something in the power supply," he muttered as he crawled underneath the table to inspect the electrical cords.

As he fiddled with the computer, he was soon joined by his favorite Pichu.

"Hello, Delia. Have you come to help me?"

"Pichu!" the little Pokémon squeaked happily.

Unbeknownst to him, the human Delia wandered into the room.

"You really are cute, Delia," Professor Oak cooed as he stroked the Pichu's chin. "I really like having you around."

The other Delia, thinking that Professor Oak was speaking to her, started blushing. _Well, isn't that sweet of him._

"You're so soft. I enjoy cuddling you."

__

Why, Samuel, you sweetheart. You've never told me that before.

"You have the cutest little ears," Professor Oak continued as he began scratching them.

__

I didn't know he liked my ears, the human Delia thought with some surprise.

"Would you like for me to scratch your belly?"

__

Huh?

"I have an idea. Maybe later I can give you a bath and then you can sleep with me tonight."

Delia's mouth fell open as her eyebrows shot up.

"Did you really mean that part about the bath?" Delia asked as she peered underneath the table.

"Delia? OW!!!" Professor Oak jumped up in surprise, hitting his head on the table.

The frightened Pichu scurried out from underneath the table and jumped on her namesake's shoulder.

"Oh! Ha-ha! You were talking to the _other_ Delia," she laughed as she petted the little Pokémon.

Rubbing his injured head, Professor Oak slid out from underneath the table and sat up. "Of course I was talking to the other Delia. What did you think I meant?" Then he understood. "Ohhh."

"Actually, the bath part sounded kind of fun. Shall I bring some bubble bath over tonight?" Delia smiled.

A flabbergasted Professor Oak tried to speak, but no words came out.

"Keep an eye on him for me, Delia, until I get back," the human Delia winked as she handed the Pichu back to Professor Oak. "See you this evening."

Professor Oak watched her go, then turned to his Pokémon.

"Can you take a rain check for tonight? I think I'm going to be busy taking care of another Delia."

THE END


End file.
